Chapter 485: He Wanted to Run Up and Punch Precht a Few Times Himself
"Ah, yes, yes. You're completely right. After all, it's the conclusion you spent decades painstakingly researching, so it must be absolutely flawless," Noah replied, his tone dripping with profound, unapologetic sarcasm.
He didn't have the patience or the desire to genuinely argue with the man. A century-old mage who had spent dozens of years hyper-fixating on a single, deluded conclusion wasn't going to be swayed by a few words.
Noah had absolutely no interest in explaining exactly why Precht was wrong. The sheer mountain of atrocities Precht had committed over the decades in pursuit of this "Ultimate Magic World" was more than enough justification for Noah to cripple him exactly like he had done to Jose and the Seven Kin, leaving him to rot in agonizing misery.
The only reason Noah hadn't instantly crushed him was out of respect for Makarov's deep emotional connection to his former Master, and because Noah genuinely wanted to enjoy a high-level magical sparring match. That was the only reason this fight was still ongoing.
"By the way, the fighting over there is already finished. Every single member of your beloved Dark Guild has lost. You're the only one left. You're officially a commander without an army," Noah pointed toward the distant battlefield.
The chaotic brawls had completely ceased. The Fairy Tail mages were resting or cleaning up the terrain, while the entire Grimoire Heart vanguard and the Seven Kin were piled up in a containment zone, securely sealed by Noah's Thought Projections.
Jellal sat quietly in the center of the battlefield, staring at Precht without moving a muscle.
"It matters little if every other member of Grimoire Heart falls. As long as I draw breath, Grimoire Heart remains. If I so desire, I can simply build a new one," Precht replied apathetically, not caring in the slightest about his defeated subordinates.
Noah nodded. He couldn't argue with that logic. Precht was the absolute core and soul of Grimoire Heart. As long as he existed, the guild existed.
"However, I must admit I am surprised. To think that all of the Seven Kin—and even Bluenote—were defeated. I suppose I should genuinely commend Makarov's soldiers. I didn't expect him to cultivate such capable subordinates outside of you," Precht stated calmly.
He slowly turned his full attention back to Noah. A dense, suffocating wave of dark purple magic began to bleed from his body. The atmosphere grew heavy, the ground trembled, and loose stones began to levitate under the sheer magical pressure.
"The playful dance between Demon and Fairy ends here. It is time I unleashed my true power and eradicated you and the rest of the Third Generation's Fairy Tail!"
The magic power surging from Precht now was exponentially denser and vastly more potent than anything he had displayed during their previous exchanges.
"Come at me, child of Makarov!" Precht beckoned aggressively, his tone dripping with absolute, terrifying arrogance.
"Oh? Haven't you noticed something peculiar?" Noah asked, casually ignoring the massive spike in Precht's aura. He didn't bother matching the magical output, opting instead to ask a simple question.
"Noticed what?" Precht asked, continuing to gather his magic power.
"Why is it that every single member of Grimoire Heart was beaten to a pulp, yet Jellal is perfectly fine, just sitting there quietly?" Noah smiled knowingly.
"Hm?" Precht paused, finally turning his head to properly examine the distant battlefield.
Sure enough, Jellal was sitting calmly in the center of the ruined terrain, completely unharmed. Every other Grimoire Heart member had been piled into the containment zone, visibly sealed by runic magic.
Precht frowned, deeply confused. Given Grimoire Heart's invasion and their status as mortal enemies, Jellal should have been fiercely attacked and defeated alongside the rest of the Seven Kin. How was he just sitting there completely unscathed?
He had been entirely focused on his high-speed magical duel with Noah, so he hadn't paid close attention to the individual fights. He had only sensed his guild members' magical signatures winking out one by one.
Now that Noah pointed it out, the situation was undeniably bizarre.
Suddenly, Precht's expression hardened. He turned back to Noah. "Did Jellal surrender? No, that's impossible. Did you do something to him?!"
Precht had naturally noticed Noah's Thought Projection hovering near the containment zone. In his mind, the only people present capable of incapacitating an elite like Jellal without a massive struggle were Makarov and Noah. Since Makarov had been standing right behind Noah earlier, Noah was the prime suspect.
"You could say I did something to him, yes. That wouldn't be entirely inaccurate. I did, in fact, 'do something' to Jellal, which is why he is sitting there so peacefully," Noah smiled brightly.
Precht blinked, an inexplicable sense of unease washing over him at Noah's smug expression. He maintained his stoic facade.
"Jellal didn't surrender. He simply chose to step out of the darkness and into the light. You see, he broke free from your brainwashing a long time ago," Noah revealed casually.
"When?!" Precht demanded, his heart skipping a beat.
"About four years ago. I ran into him, figured I'd test a spell on him just to see what would happen, and it ended up shattering the mental programming you put in his head," Noah shrugged.
"I remember now... the one who clashed auras with me from across the continent... that was you?!" Precht recalled the terrifying, brief clash of magical pressure he had experienced years ago. It was the first time in decades someone had successfully challenged him from such a distance; the memory was permanently burned into his mind.
"Yep, that was me. Back then, I wasn't entirely confident I could beat you in a straight fight, so I let you leave," Noah admitted.
"Are you implying you have the confidence to defeat me now?" Precht sneered disdainfully.
"Just a bit," Noah smiled, his tone remaining perfectly even and unbothered.
"Lost control four years ago... Don't tell me...!!!" Precht's eyes widened in sudden, horrifying realization. He violently snapped his head toward the distant ocean where his airship had crashed, his face draining of color.
"Oh? Finally figured it out? As a former member of the Seven Kin, he naturally knew all your weaknesses. And he told them all to me," Noah laughed, watching Precht's face rapidly cycle through various shades of panic.
It was glaringly obvious that Precht desperately wanted to rush back to the crashed airship to check on his hidden vulnerability, but Noah's presence prevented him from simply turning his back and running.
"Don't worry," Noah continued, his smile widening into a predatory grin. "I have absolutely zero interest in defeating you by exploiting some hidden weakness. That would be a massive waste. It's incredibly rare for me to find a punching bag that can actually take a hit. Why would I end the fight so cheaply?"
"You insolent brat! You dare treat me as your personal whetstone?! How unfathomably arrogant!" Precht roared, correctly deciphering Noah's intent. His face flushed with pure, humiliated rage. He would rather Noah had just attacked the weakness than endure this level of blatant disrespect.
"Did you forget what I just said? I have absolute confidence I can beat you right now. So why wouldn't I take my time? Besides, I need to personally beat the living daylights out of you to make Grandpa feel a little better," Noah stated calmly.
The playful demeanor vanished entirely. A terrifying, blinding golden aura erupted from Noah's body. The sheer density of his magic generated physical shockwaves that blasted outward, violently colliding with Precht's dark purple aura and creating a continuous, deafening roar of grinding magic.
"Hmph! Brat, since you foolishly chose not to exploit my weakness, you shall drown in regret!" Precht roared, pushing his magic power to absolute critical mass. The atmospheric pressure skyrocketed, creating a violent vacuum as the air was forcefully pushed away by the sheer density of his dark magic.
Precht reached up and grabbed the black eyepatch covering his right eye. With a vicious yank, he tore it off.
"Demon's Eye: OPEN!"
He opened his right eye. A sinister, blood-red glow emanated from the iris.
Instantly, a completely different, incomprehensibly dark, and malevolent magic erupted from his body. The suffocating purple aura darkened into a pitch-black abyss, violently expanding outward.
Noah's golden aura was instantly compressed, pushed back until it only covered a one-meter radius around him. The rest of the immediate battlefield was completely swallowed by Precht's overwhelming, apocalyptic darkness.
"I shall make an exception and grant you a glimpse into the true abyss of magic! Prepare to witness a realm of power far beyond your pathetic imagination!"
Precht's magic power surged exponentially. A nauseating, ominous, and profoundly evil presence saturated the area, rapidly spreading outward like a plague. Only the small patch of ground where Noah stood remained illuminated by golden light.
"H-How is this possible...?" Gray stammered in sheer terror.
After Noah's Thought Projections had sealed the defeated Grimoire Heart members, they had gathered all the Fairy Tail mages and teleported them back to the base camp near Makarov to watch the duel from a safe distance.
They had been watching the high-speed magical shootout with intense excitement—Natsu had even tried to run back and join in, only to be stopped by Erza.
But the moment Precht tore off his eyepatch and unleashed his true power, the faces of every single Fairy Tail mage drained of color.
"I have never felt a magic so utterly, fundamentally evil..." Ultear gasped, her face pale and serious.
"And it's still growing stronger..." Mirajane added, her expression equally grim.
"As expected of the Second Master. He truly is a monster," Laxus noted, his face stoic but his eyes wide.
"So a guy like this actually exists, huh? Incredible," Gildarts's eyes sparkled with excitement, but seeing Noah standing calmly amidst the encroaching darkness, he instantly relaxed. "It's a shame I don't get to fight him. Since he's fighting Noah, he's guaranteed to get crushed. I guess I missed my chance."
"It really is a shame," Ur agreed, crossing her arms. There were very few mages in the world who could reach a level of power like Precht's. Fighting him would have been an incredible opportunity to push her own limits. What a waste.
Feeling the sheer, suffocating evil radiating from Precht's true magic, Makarov's face turned incredibly grave. He took a step forward, fully intending to march onto the battlefield.
"Grandpa," Laxus grabbed Makarov's arm, gently pulling him back with a helpless sigh.
"Don't worry about Noah. That idiot is just waiting for Precht to go all out and show his full hand. Have you forgotten how he fights? Noah hasn't even begun to use his actual strength yet.
"He's stalling for two reasons: one, to guarantee himself a fun, high-level fight. And two, he wants to beat Precht at his absolute peak to vent your anger for you. We might not feel much about Precht turning evil, but Noah knows you're absolutely devastated by it."
As Makarov's oldest grandson, Laxus saw right through Noah's underlying motives. Honestly, Laxus fully supported the plan. If he were strong enough, he would have loved to run up and punch Precht in the face a few times himself.
This was the first time Laxus had ever seen Makarov look so profoundly defeated and heartbroken. Ever since they learned Precht was the Master of Grimoire Heart, Makarov hadn't smiled once—save for a brief moment of relief when his 'children' defeated the Seven Kin. Every time he looked back at the duel between Noah and Precht, his face fell into deep sorrow.
Laxus had read the guild's history; he understood exactly why Makarov felt this way. Precht was the Second Master. Makarov had literally been born into the guild and raised under Precht's watchful eye. Precht had mentored him, protected him, and eventually entrusted the entire guild to him. Precht had arguably been the most influential figure in the first half of Makarov's life.
To discover that his mentor had degenerated into the mastermind behind the most sadistic, violent Dark Guild in history—and was actively leading an army to slaughter the current generation of Fairy Tail on their own holy ground... it was a betrayal that shattered Makarov's heart.
As a grandson, all Laxus could do was stand by the old man's side and offer comfort, while secretly hoping Noah would beat Precht within an inch of his life. And Laxus knew Noah would absolutely deliver. Noah cared deeply for Makarov; he would never let Precht off easy for causing the old man so much pain.
"I don't care about venting anger. I just want Noah to be safe," Makarov shook his head sadly.
"Is Noah really going to be okay?! I've never felt magic this disgusting and evil!" Lucy shivered, her pupils dilated in terror as Precht's dark aura washed over the island.
"He'll be perfectly fine. Now that Precht is going all out, Noah will finally stop holding back. Did you already forget about the giant golden titan?" Sorano smiled reassuringly at Lucy.
"Oh! You're right!" Lucy clapped her hands together, her anxiety vanishing instantly.
She had genuinely forgotten about the apocalyptic power Noah had displayed during the Oración Seis incident. With that level of absurd, god-like power backing him up, what was there to worry about?
Lucy glanced around. While everyone was thoroughly shocked by Precht's terrifying magic, not a single person looked genuinely worried about Noah's safety. They all knew exactly what Noah was capable of, and they had absolute, unwavering faith in his victory.
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